Can we get rid of sync?

I realize that improvements have been made to sync - it now runs more in the background. But it’s still a cumbersome process. For example, I rarely use tablo on my phone (android), but sometimes I’ll fire it up while getting ready for work or something, only to find myself clocking behind a sync screen. Presumably, this is because I haven’t logged on in a while from the phone.

But why do we need sync in the first place? As far as I know, another client app (roku) doesn’t sync at all. Yet it seems to be able to fetch images, guide data, recording lists, etc. just fine from Tablo. Any reason the other client apps can’t follow a similar approach and go “sync-less?”

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EPG data is very dynamic.

I’d much rather see it all happen in the background. Instead of having to WAIT for a sync, if our data is out of sync, continue to use the previous data and keep things fully functional while it’s still syncing. Having to sit and wait while it’s syncing is a major annoyance.

I would like a seperate sync app that ran at the time and frequency we select . For those that watch seldom, once a week might meet their needs, while others that watch more frequently mught want daily. Allow for up to 3 sync times per day, though most likely I would only use 1.

Where do you plan to run this app? I’ve never heard of any way to run an app on a schedule on an Android TV or a Roku box. And that’s where the sync needs to run.

Guys, I think you’re missing my point… why struggle to make sync better when it seems we don’t need it at all? The Roku app doesn’t sync anything, and it seems to perform just fine. I’m proposing we get rid of sync and have the other apps (Android in my case) pull data from the Tablo/internet on demand. If the answer is “that’ll be slow” then please explain how the Roku does it.

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It does sync in the background, when you open the app and after it connects you can view your settings, live TV grid, list of recordings (which may not be up to date yet).

But you still have access to the recordings from the last time you sync’d.

This is all provided it hasn’t been weeks since your last sync, which will require a full sync, rather than the incremental sync which allows you to sync in the background. This feature was introduced in firmware 2.2.2 in August 2015, see the link below:

https://community.tablotv.com/t/new-firmware-release-2-2-2-its-here/

The Roku doesn’t do anything by itself. Which app (running on the Roku) are you referring to?

In general, streaming servers like Netflix or Hulu have really powerful servers at the other end that can put together the meta data for your selections as fast as it can get to you over the internet. The little processor in the Tablo can’t do that. So it needs to send the raw data to the client app so that the client can build the UI for you.

The Roku app doesn’t sync like the other apps. It just pulls what it needs on the fly.

It does sync in the background, when you open the app and after it connects you can view your settings, live TV grid, list of recordings (which may not be up to date yet).

But you still have access to the recordings from the last time you sync’d.

This is all provided it hasn’t been weeks since your last sync, which will require a full sync, rather than the incremental sync which allows you to sync in the background. This feature was introduced in firmware 2.2.2 in August 2015, see the link below:

My bad. Now that you mention it, it does seem to work like that. Hmm, what am I remembering where it sat there syncing and didn’t let me do anything?

Maybe it was when you click to have the guide updated? Or add/remove a channel?

I know there was something where I had to wait for the sync to finish.

So as long as we sync weekly (or how often) to get the sync in the background? Most likely depends on how many active channels you have and number of recordings since last sync.

The initial sync behaves like that, but once that is completed, the ‘update’ sync is a background process.

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I thought with Android being based off Linux there was a cron job or something. I remember back in DOS days there were TSR programs. And ways for increasing ram, such as Quardeck software QEMM386.

Android phone solution: http://androidideas.org/taskbomb/
Run app on your schedule

I am trying Cronoid and will know tomorrow

It worked! Now if I only knew how long sync would take. Guess it shouldn’t take 2 hours or even an hour. The way it is now it doesn’t exit Tablo.

Another sync related feature request: How about syncing recordings first and then syncing the guide data? Sometimes I’m just looking to see what got recorded recently, and there’s no reason that should take several minutes. The guide data for 12-14 days out doesn’t really matter as much (and I know I have to wait for that anyway). But the recordings data shouldn’t take much time more than a second or two to sync. (If it does, you’re doing something wrong!)

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Interesting request - I don’t know what the order is.

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For iOS users, it would be great if they could add background app refresh to the iOS app - switching to another app currently suspends it.

Use Background App Refresh

After you switch to a different app, some apps run for a short period of time before they’re set to a suspended state. Apps that are in a suspended state aren’t actively in use, open, or taking up system resources. With Background App Refresh, suspended apps can check for updates and new content.

@TabloTV

Any chance on utilizing this new feature in iOS?

Might get dicey depending on how big of a data pack you have on your phone…

We are looking at the possibility of moving all clients to the same API that Roku & Apple TV use which as you noticed does not require sync at all.

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Great to hear! Keep up the good work.

We are looking at the possibility of moving all clients to the same API that Roku & Apple TV use which as you noticed does not require sync at all.

How about a dual mode so that while it’s syncing it generates all the views server-side (like Roku and Apple TV do now) and once the sync is up to date, it generates locally? Seems like the best of both worlds that way. You’re always viewing the most current details, and it’ll be faster when/if the sync is caught up.